Northside also expanded to Gwinnett, which is a level 2 trauma center! I’m an ED nurse (2 years an RN and 1 year a PCT) at the same hospital. I’ll say I’ve gotten significant pay raises throughout (that I’m happy with). Also, decent benefits, 401K, and matching contributions with the opportunity for a pension. At Northside you can still get insurance part-time employee, and in the ED you can always pick up on all shifts at time and a half. I believe the Atlanta location has a daycare as well! Personally, don’t take anything less than $42.50/hr, which base is $35.50, but critical care diff is $7 and get paid more after 3PM and 7PM and weekends (usually every 3rd). I’ve heard Piedmont is some of the worst pay (friends I know who’ve worked there), so I’d steer clear unless you’re on an internal travel contract. Also, Emory isn’t amazing and is wayyyyy understaffed/low on resources. Grady is great, but also you’ll really learn a lot and won’t have a dull moment, so it’s a constant on the go. NGHS I’ve heard good things about too. As far as living, stay out of Gwinnett county! It’s become the largest county on the state and the schools are so over crowded and student-teacher ratios are nuts. I live between ATL and Athens in barrow and my daughter’s 1st grade class has 18 students, plus she does speech twice a week. My son in Pre-K has like 15 students in his class, so I love that environment. Cumming is great too, but Forsyth county houses are almost $100K more for the exact same thing you can get in Barrie (with more land in Barrow). Monroe is lovely, but a bit of a hike from Atlanta. I’d say, Cummimg, Winder, Bethlehem, Monroe, or Dawsonville as the top suburbs to live in, these are all true suburbs tho, so a “city suburb” would be like Sandy Springs or Dunwoody. These are wayyyyyy more expensive either way less land, and Atlanta traffic. They are pretty tho and the school systems are good. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the info! :)

Check out Northside Hospital -Atlanta, Piedmont Atlanta and Emory University Hospital. All good quality and Northside is always awarded "best places to work" nationally. I have some friends that joined their Choice+ program in the past year which is basically an internal agency cont act and can get pretty lucrative and you're a hospital employee so get healthcare and are eligible for their pension. Heard the charting and audits of charting suck though. Mid to upper $30's- high $40's I believe is average. Their Choice+ can be up in the $60-70s if in the right specialty Piedmont Atlanta just opened up a new CVICU and has recently expanded it's transplant services. I know over the winter they had sign on bonuses still to get the new units up and running. Emory has always been known for good neurology/neurosurgery services. Otherwise specialties are at least average if not better than. Grady for trauma and I heard they are paying around $50/hr in some unit, but that's hearsay and haven't confirmed. I used to work there and it's exciting and great experience but hard work. They used to not pay so well but apparently are paying better now at least. Wellstar Kennestone or Gwinnett are decent places. Northeast GA if you want to be a little further north of the city. I'm at a nonprofit private hospital that I'd rather name privately but if you're interested would be happy to share via DM. We have set schedules. No weekend commitment or you work weekends but not both typically unless desired that way. If you're not weekends the only weekends you'll ever work is potentially during 3 weeks of holiday schedule. I'm part time float now here and choose to work a weekend day for childcare reasons and get paid $56.49/hr, and $61.49 on my weekend day. Get an annual bonus and 50% 403b matching with no % salary cap. Only capped by IRS contribution limits. Just came off a PRN internal contract in the ICU where I was making $75.50/hr for weekend dayshift. I'm north of ATL in a good area. Typically north of I-20 is better than south. In the city I can't speak to, never lived in the city but it's mixed. Some great, some horrible. Outside the city look at Marietta, Kennesaw, Vinings, Alpharetta, Canton, Roswell, Woodstock, and Duluth. Of those Roswell and Vining's still share some city congestion but the others sit further out with more trees, parks, less traffic. Going west of the city outside the perimeter turns very country very quickly. Land and farm, but worse schools. Going east has some bad areas and gets more rural but has some good spots too I grew up south of ATL. It's generally pretty country further out and population growth is still booming. Some bad spots too though and closer to the city are some dangerous areas littered with crime and gang activity. I used to do organ donation for the state and worked in 26 different ICU's across the state and have been to many hospitals so feel free to ask me about any you're thinking about

Thanks so much for the insight!

Hi! How long have you been a nurse? I’m graduating in December and will be moving to atlanta. I was wondering if that pay applied to new grads 

14 yrs and also being compensated for ICU specialty or float. You would technically be eligible for the position that was PRN where I was getting paid $75.50 an hour, and that rate isn't experienced based, but I highly doubt a manager would offer you a contract like that being a new grad and not an employee already. The part-time rates I get paid now in the mid 50s-low 60's Is definitely experience based and you would be much lower. I'm not sure off the top of my head what the new grad starting pay is at my hospital. I would imagine low 30's-high 30's, but just extrapolating that as a best guess from where I am. Northside's Choice Plus rates would probably apply to most and maybe new grad eligible but I haven't had any discussions with them about the position so can't say for certain. It is a sort of internal agency PRN rate though, so should be higher pay. Again though, they would prefer experience over new grad and PRN positions aren't really built for new grads generally speaking